Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 'C'

Sunday January 24, 2010

Let God’s people say, “Amen!”

Liturgy is the most important thing we do every week and some, every day. This was no less true for the Jews of old as for Moslems and Hindus and Buddhists today.

It is at liturgy that we express who God is for us and who we are for God and, notwithstanding the importance of preparation by the presider and preacher, by and large, we get out of worship what we put into it and if we want others to know who we are as Catholic Christians, observe what we do on the Day of the Lord then view how it connects with what we do for the rest of the week. And this is true, by the way, even for Catholics in ‘exile’ – in Diaspora – those who have for one reason or another, taken a leave of absence because they feel excluded by Church leadership. They remain Catholics and many of them celebrate liturgy in one form or another. They are worshiping the same God though their ‘liturgy’ may place the accent on a different syllable as it were.

The book of Nehemiah was written after the Babylonian exile. The Jews who had remained in Israel were not overly thrilled with the enthusiasm of their fellow Jews returning home to rebuild the Temple and restore the Torah to its rightful place in Temple worship. In many respects, they had become more Jewish than the Jews who had never left their homeland and who over time had become less literal in their religious practice. The returning Jews viewed the remnant Jews too lax in their worship and religious practice. This was the beginning of the division between the Jews and the Samaritans, the latter becoming the remnant of those who remained in Israel. The Samaritans ultimately believed the returning Jews to be driven by political rather than spiritual motives. However we contextualize the conflict, there were insiders and outsiders both of whom clung to elements of truth they considered essential to the Jewish tradition and some truth to their criticisms one for the other. (Incidentally, a similar phenomenon occurred in Poland and other Iron Curtain countries after the destruction of the Berlin Wall. The Catholics who were in ‘exile’ behind the Iron Curtain resumed the external religious practice of the Church prior to the Vatican Council that in many respect was out of sync with the practice of the free world.)

It is against this background that Ezra the Scribe assembles the people to call them to true worship and to a faithful living of the Mosaic Law (Torah). “And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’” Yes, we will — we will abide by the law and worship our God in mind and heart.

This reading sets the stage for the story of Jesus’ proclamation in the synagogue in which he identifies himself as Messiah. Actually, this is Luke’s construction of an event that in all likelihood did not actually take place as described. Luke states at the outset of his gospel that he is writing an orderly account in order to explain the truth about Jesus. How better to identify him then to describe him in the role of interpreter of the law and the fulfillment of all the prophecies beginning with Isaiah. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes his statement within an assembly of faith but his words reach far beyond the barriers of race and culture. This is his inaugural speech which sets the tone not only for the rest of Luke’s gospel but also for the post resurrection Church, the body of Christ as it will be described in the Acts of the Apostles, also written by Luke

St Paul in the second reading confirms the fact that indeed, the gifts of the Spirit are expressed in different cultures and languages. “It was in one spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body. All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit.” [I Cor. 12:13-14]

So whether we are Irish, Italian, Native American or African, as the Body of Christ, we have been empowered by the same Spirit to bring the good news of God’s saving love to the poor, to free the oppressed, to give sight to the blind and to set captives free. Of course, we need to translate the message into concrete actions appropriate to our time.

Perhaps it’s time to revisit and re-invigorate our worship again as if for the first time. Perhaps it’s time to restate and recommit ourselves to the Church’s social doctrine rooted in the Gospel of Jesus. Perhaps it’s time to get the lead out and get real about religion proclaiming a true liberation of the human soul and spirit in the name of the Christ who came to proclaim a year of favor and an eternal kingdom of grace and peace.

Let God’s people say, “Amen!”

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